How To Make Money From Home (50+ Fast, Easy, & Proven Ways)

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Top 20 Ways To Make Money From Home

From a quick dollar to a full-time income, here are the top 20 ways to make money from home in 2019.

#1 — This popular idea you can do while watching TV

If you’re looking for a flexible and fun way to earn money from home, start with online surveys.

How it works is that you sign up for a paid survey site (for free), and then you’re notified by email when a survey is available.

For example, here’s a survey opportunity that was recently emailed to me:

Not all offers are this good, which is why you should sign up for multiple sites. But you’ll get a huge offer like this every once in a while.

When we researched the top survey sites — taking into account BBB ratings, app reviews, TrustPilot scores, and more — the three sites listed below were the absolute best paid survey sites we found.

Survey Junkie

With over 5 million members, Survey Junkie is one of the largest survey sites. You’ll be happy to know that Survey Junkie has an 8.8/10 rating on TrustPilot, which ranks highest among all survey companies. It’s also super easy to sign up and get started. You just complete a short profile survey, and then you’ll be sent survey opportunities via email.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a favorite of mine, as well as a favorite of many readers of The Ways To Wealth. In total, Swagbucks has paid out over $300 million in rewards. Like free money? Swagbucks also gives you a $5 bonus just for signing up.

Payment method: Points (called SBs) that are redeemable for cash through PayPal or Venmo

InboxDollars

InboxDollars is one of the most popular money making apps. In the iOS App Store, the app has a 4.4/5 rating with 66,000+ reviews. Similar to Swagbucks, there are over a dozen different ways to make money with InboxDollars — from watching videos, to searching the web, to completing paid surveys.

#5 — Get cash back with Ebates

One super simple way I’ve earned some extra money lately has been by using eBates when shopping online.

Ebates allows you to share a referral fee for making a purchase through their affiliate link. You then get cash back from your online purchases at stores like Amazon, Target, eBay, Nordstrom, travel sites and more.

If you sign up through this link, you’ll get a $10 bonus. That’s an instant savings of $10 off of your first purchase, plus extra cash back.

#6 — Credit card sign-up bonuses

Some of the easiest money I’ve ever made has been through credit card sign-up bonuses. But, there’s an obvious caveat here: you must never carry a balance on your credit card. Otherwise, it’s the credit card company who wins, not you.

60,000 points have even more value when exchanged for travel. When booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, your points are worth 25 percent more.

Then, there’s the ability to transfer points to travel partners. For example, a ticket from Chicago to London’s Heathrow Airport can be booked for as little as 40,000 points via British Airways.

If you’re not likely to reach the $4,000 minimum spending requirement, another great card is the Chase Freedom card. The Chase Freedom card offers 5 percent cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases in that period’s “bonus” categories. Plus, 1 percent on everything else. Past rotating categories — which change every three months — have included grocery stores, gas stations, and warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s.

There’s also no annual fee with this card, which is why I’ve had one for over 10 years. Even better, there’s a $150 sign-up bonus after spending just $500 in the first three months.

Then I transfer the points I earn via my Chase Freedom card to a card that gets more value. The card I transfer the points to is the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which gives you 50 percent more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

If you’re interested in learning more about award travel, check out the free course below:

#7 — Take pictures of your receipts

You can make money from home by taking pictures of your receipts with Ibotta.

Before you go grocery shopping, open the app and scan to see what items have cash-back offers.

Once you get home, simply scan the product’s barcode and take a picture of your receipt. You’ll get money deposited into your account.

#12 — Earn cash rewards for shopping at your favorite stores

With Drop, all you do is sign up and link your credit and debit cards.

Then, you pick up to five stores to earn points from (Starbucks, Costco, Amazon, Safeway, Uber, and Trader Joe’s are some of the more popular options).

You’ll earn rewards for shopping at those particular stores. For example, you’ll get 12 points per dollar spent at Trader Joe’s. That’s like earning 1.2 percent back on all your grocery purchases.

It may not seem like much at first, but it will when you add up your expenses over a full year. Say you spend $7,500 on groceries; an additional 1.2 percent cash back gets you a $90 gift card in just 12 months. And all you did was spend a couple of minutes configuring the app. That’s as close to free money as you’ll ever get.

#13 — Teach english online

If you enjoy working with children, consider online tutoring.

Online tutoring is a fast-growing industry. And tutoring sites are looking for qualified teachers to work with children from all over the world.

#14 — Invest “found money” with Acorns

But for many, coming up with the money to invest — not to mention investing that money properly while minimizing the risk of loss —has proven to be difficult.

Fortunately, there’s an app called Acorns, which makes getting started simple. The best part is that you don’t even need money to start investing!

Just answer a few quick questions about your overall financial goals, and Acorns will set you up with a customized portfolio optimized to meet your needs.

Then, use the app’s “Found Money” feature, which allows you to earn cash that that gets invested directly into your custom portfolio whenever you shop at specific retailers (like Walmart, Airbnb, Lyft, Nike and more).

For example, say you spend $100 at Walmart. Acorns will invest a percentage of that $100 (which can be as high as 10 percent for some retailers) into your account.

Another feature I love about Acorns is the ability to invest spare change. For example, you can choose to round up purchases to the nearest dollar. Say you were to make a purchase for $17.20; Acorns would then set aside 80 cents to invest.

You can quickly build up a solid portfolio just by using “found money” and your spare change.

#15 — Become a virtual real estate investor

Real estate is one of the primary ways wealthy people make money. However, investing in real estate takes a lot of time, has huge upfront costs, and comes with significant risks if you don’t know what you’re doing.

But now there’s a way for regular people to avoid those obstacles and invest in real estate regardless of their bank account’s value — making some of the most attractive potential returns available through crowdfunding platforms.

One of the largest crowd-funded real estate sites is Fundrise, which lets you make money from home by investing in real estate with as little as $500. I recently wrote an in-depth review of the platform, which you can read here.

What’s great about Fundrise is that you’re allowed to see the properties you’re investing in. So, if it’s an apartment complex in New York, you will see the exact property.

As Fundrise has strict standards for the types of properties it allows on the platform, you’ll start to learn why that property was attractive in the first place. This is a great way to learn the ins-and-outs of real estate investing, with little risk.

If you’re not satisfied with your investment for any reason within the first 90 days, Fundrise will buy back your investment at the original price.

So, if you’re on a tight budget, wait for a sale. Meanwhile, start taking their free daily classes to enhance your skills.

#18 — Freelance writer

Freelancing is one of the best ways to make money without a traditional job.

And one of the most legitimate freelance opportunities right now is writing.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the demand for writers and authors is expected to grow 6 percent from 2010 to 2020.

Writing is a skill that requires no prior formal experience. If you wanted to, you could take on your first client today. All you need is an internet connection.

If freelance writing sounds like something you’d like to try, check out six-figure freelancer and award-winning personal finance writer Holly Johnson’s free workshop: How to Build a Six-Figure Writing Career.

#19 — Get paid to drive, earn tips, and work when you want

If you’re trying to make money outside of your job, one of the easiest ways is to get paid for driving people around.

By signing up to become a driver for a company like Lyft, you have the flexibility to work whenever you want. Plus, you can decide to only work when demand is really high in order to maximize your earnings.

Right now, Lyft is offering a $250 sign up bonus. So, it’s definitely worth checking out if you need cash quick.

#20 — Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money online.

If you’re not familiar with the concept, affiliate marketers get paid to refer people to products or services. For example, the above-mentioned site Ebates pays you $25 for every friend you refer.

You can also do this on a larger scale, such as by having a website.

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of the Making Sense of Cents blog is quite good at this. Michelle started in August of 2011 with no prior experience, and now does quite well for herself.

#24 — Hold a garage or yard sale

While Decluttr is great for selling old tech, I find Craigslist best for selling items that are costly to ship, like furniture and TVs.

However, if there’s a lot of stuff you need to get rid, consider going old school and having a garage or yard sale.

One tip is to find out if there are particular garage sale dates in your city or neighborhood. Chances are this is when traffic will be at its peak.

#25 — Rent out a parking space

Leaving on a road trip? Not using a garage spot? You can rent your parking spot for good money — especially if you live in a big city like New York or DC, where parking is limited and indoor spaces can fetch as much as $300 per month.

#29 — Trim your bills

Trim takes care of dozens of small tasks, like negotiating your cable, internet, and cell phone bills. It can also get you a discount if your internet service goes down, cancel your unused subscriptions, and more.

#32 — LongGame

With Long Game, you get rewarded for saving money. Then, use your rewards to play games to win money and enter sweepstakes for cash prizes.

#33 — SavvyConnect

SavvyConnect collects data on your internet usage. You get $5 per month for every device you add, and you can request payment after earning $1.

#34 — ShopKick

ShopKick is a highly-rated and very popular app that rewards you for in-store shopping. There are a number of ways to make money, with one being as easy as simply checking in to a store.

#33 — Postmates

Postmates allows you to be a local-delivery person. You’ll pick up groceries, food from restaurants, items from convenience stores, and even products from the Apple Store, which has a special same-day delivery partnership with the service. Aside from the fact that you can work whenever you want, the best part is that you don’t need even need a car to do this job. You can deliver on a bike, an electric scooter, or even walk if you live in a big city.

#36 — SlideJoy

SlideJoy allows you to make a few bucks by displaying an advertisement on your smartphone’s home screen.

#37 — Poshmark

If you have high-end designer clothes you’re looking to get rid of, use Poshmark to list your items in just 60 seconds.

Great for Teens & College Students

Some of the ideas on this list have age requirements. For example, to be a VIP Kid teacher, you need a college degree and teaching experience. Or, the minimum age to make money with Survey Junkie is 18 years old.

That’s why I wanted to create a special list just for teens and college students.

#40 — Survey sites for teens

Minimum age: 13 years old

Most survey sites have a minimum age requirement of 18 years. But there are a few exceptions to this rule. These include:

#41 — Earn money with Fiverr

Fiverr is a website that allows anyone to post a job or service for as little as $5.

Personally, I’ve ordered hundreds of dollars in jobs on Fiverr — everything from having malware removed from a website to a whiteboard design video.

In some cases, I’ve spent as much as a $100 for a gig.

A few easy gigs to get started in are proofreading and data entry. These will give you a chance to build up your profile, earn a good reputation, and eventually make more money with higher-paying jobs.

#42 — Car detailing

Like cars?

Start a car detailing business, where you have your neighbors drop off their car for you to detail.

#43 — Sell your art

Selling your art is becoming one of the more creative ways to make money online. One website, Creative Market, allows you to sell your photos, graphics, and other types of art.

#44 — Become a search engine evaluator

You can make money by searching the internet and evaluating the search results for quality.

#45 — Moderate forums

If there’s an online forum you’re constantly hanging out at, ask the owner if they’re looking to hire a moderator. You can get paid, and you’ll have the power to ban trolls and troublemakers. Wield it wisely, my friend.

#46 — Enter graphic design competitions

If you’re a graphic designer, there are now multiple websites where you can enter design competitions. If you win the competition, you earn 100 percent of the money. Two popular websites are 99Designs and DesignCrowd.

#47 — Mechanical Turk

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is a marketplace for many simple but repetitive tasks, like data entry. You won’t make a killing on this site, but you can definitely earn some extra spending money in your spare time.

Potential to Earn a Full-Time Income

If you want to earn full-time wages while working from home, that possibility certainly exists.

There are now dozens of legitimate ways to make a great income from home — or anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

To see the full details of a job listing, you must sign up for their $14.95 monthly membership. The good news is the quality of the listings is indeed worth the small price, and can save you dozens of hours sorting through job listings elsewhere.

There’s also no contract, so once you find the right gig you’re free to cancel your subscription with no further obligation.

#49 — Become a virtual assistant

Many high earners need assistants to help with everyday tasks. When you become a virtual assistant (commonly referred to as a VA), you’ll do the same work as an in-office assistant or secretary — without the commute.

#50 — Launch a Shopify store

The e-commerce platform Shopify makes it dead-simple to set up and start selling anything online. If you’ve ever wanted to sell homemade crafts, used items you find at garage sales, consultations, digital downloads, or anything else, Shopify makes it easy.

Over 1 million people use Shopify to sell online. They even have a free 14-day trial so you can see if it works for your business idea.

#51 — Rent out a spare room

Whether you live in a rural area or big city, use the Airbnb rental calculator to see how much you can get for a spare room. And if you plan on being away from home yourself, you can make even more money by renting out your entire house or apartment.

#52 — Make money selling clearance items

If you enjoy hitting up sales at retail stores, you can make some serious cash reselling products that have been significantly marked down.

This practice is known as “retail arbitrage,” which simply means buying clearance items and reselling them for a higher price.

Jessica and Cliff of The Selling Family actually earn a full-time income doing this.

They’ll buy stuff on sale at a store like Walgreens, then resell it on a site like Amazon or eBay. If you’re interested, check out their FREE 7-day course that will teach you everything you need to know.

#52 — Get paid to deliver food

While you can make good money as a Lyft driver, a better fit for introverts is food delivery.

With DoorDash, you can get paid to deliver food (while you listen to your favorite podcasts or audiobooks, of course).

Just like with Postmates, you don’t even need a car. In most cities, a bike or scooter will work just fine.

#53 — Start a catering business

Another low-cost, low-risk business opportunity that’s currently in high demand is catering. Start out honing your skills by making meals at home for friends and family, and then slowly grow your client base.

#54 — Sell old books

About once every year, I head down to a store in my area called Half Price Books and sell everything I’m done reading. But some people turn bookselling into a full-time business.

We continue to see royalty payments, even though it’s been a few years since she wrote the book.

#56 — Sell crafts on Etsy

Enjoy creating unique arts and crafts? You can make money from home by selling the item on Etsy.

#57 — Design websites

You can make good money creating websites for small businesses.

What’s nice about being a website designer today is that there are many amazing and free tools that allow you to create beautiful websites without learning code, such as WordPress, Unbounce, Wix, and others.

As such, the learning curve to start taking on clients has really decreased.

58 — Become a social media manager

The #1 thing local businesses want is new, high-quality leads. That means if you can generate these leads, you can get paid a lot of money. And right now, one of the best ways to generate those leads is through social media.

The best social media managers charge $10k+ per month, plus a slice of revenue. Good social media managers charge $3k to $5k per month.

To the surprise of many, some beginners get paid $1,000 to $2,000 each month. So, even if you’re starting from scratch, with the right training, you can have a profitable business quickly.

What’s also great about becoming a social media manager is that it’s one of the steadiest sources of income around.

I know social media managers who have five or so clients, each paying them $1,000 to $2,000 every month. And after the work is done getting a client’s campaign set up, they only have to dedicate a few hours per week to each client.

*Paribus compensates us when you sign up for Paribus using the links we provided.

The Ways to Wealth LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Ways to Wealth LLC and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

About The Author

R.J. Weiss is the founder and editor of The Ways To Wealth, a Certified Financial Planner™, husband and father of three. He's spent the last 10+ years writing about personal finance and has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, MSN Money, and other publications.

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